What Rush Thinks

[chaotic_ripper]

Are there any interviews or videos out there, where the guys in the band actually state what they think are their best albums? I've read/heard them speak proudly of 2112, Moving Pictures, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. Anyone out there know of anything else, or know anything definitive, other than stuff from Beyond the Lighted Stage?

[EmotionDetector]

I often wonder that too...

 

However, I can tell you which one doesn't seem to be on their lists:

 

Caress of Steel

 

Considering since their return in 2002, there hasn't been anything played from it outside of that little 1-2 minute blurb of Bastille Day during that opening 'R30 Overture'.

 

Other albums that get very little representation are Fly By Night, Hold Your Fire, Presto, and Test For Echo.

[Tommy Sawyer]

They have announced in concert that "The Pass" is one of their faves.

[danielmclark]

It changes - at one time or another, every album was their favorite album, pretty much. Whatever the current one was. But looking back now over the past 30+ years... no idea.

 

Though I'd also wager CoS is at the bottom.

[Scars]

In the book "Contents Under Pressure" it claims that Geddy said "Power Windows" was his favorite album of the 80's and 90's followed by "Roll the Bones" and "Test for Echo." I don't know how much truth there is to the statement, but there you go.

[Tony R]

I met up with the members of Rush a few years ago and they admitted that everything post-Signals is pretty rubbish. They apologised to their Brit fans for selling them short but reckoned that their American fans "would swallow any old shite".

Refreshing honesty I thought.

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Nov 18 2011, 03:39 PM)

It changes - at one time or another, every album was their favorite album, pretty much. Whatever the current one was.

This.

 

I've often heard them say X is one of the albums they're most proud of, where the value of "X" is their latest album.

 

For older albums, they all still talk pretty positively about Moving Pictures, and it seems Geddy has a thing for Power Windows. I can recall when they were all excited about Presto, right after it came out, but now Geddy admits that the production took the balls out of the songs. (I agree.)

[lerxt1990]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Nov 18 2011, 04:12 PM)

I met up with the members of Rush a few years ago and they admitted that everything post-Signals is pretty rubbish. They apologised to their Brit fans for selling them short but reckoned that their American fans "would swallow any old shite". Refreshing honesty I thought.

[Tony R]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 18 2011, 09:25 PM)

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Nov 18 2011, 03:39 PM) It changes - at one time or another, every album was their favorite album, pretty much. Whatever the current one was. This.   I've often heard them say X is one of the albums they're most proud of, where the value of "X" is their latest album.   For older albums, they all still talk pretty positively about Moving Pictures, and it seems Geddy has a thing for Power Windows. I can recall when they were all excited about Presto, right after it came out, but now Geddy admits that the production took the balls out of the songs. (I agree.) Au contraire. The problem with Presto is it's bollocks...

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Nov 18 2011, 04:37 PM)

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 18 2011, 09:25 PM) QUOTE (danielmclark @ Nov 18 2011, 03:39 PM) It changes - at one time or another, every album was their favorite album, pretty much. Whatever the current one was. This.   I've often heard them say X is one of the albums they're most proud of, where the value of "X" is their latest album.   For older albums, they all still talk pretty positively about Moving Pictures, and it seems Geddy has a thing for Power Windows. I can recall when they were all excited about Presto, right after it came out, but now Geddy admits that the production took the balls out of the songs. (I agree.) Au contraire. The problem with Presto is it's bollocks... I disagree. Like Vapor Trails, the songs themselves are good; it's the production which makes them kind of crappy.

[Tony R]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 18 2011, 09:39 PM)

QUOTE (Tony R @ Nov 18 2011, 04:37 PM) QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 18 2011, 09:25 PM) QUOTE (danielmclark @ Nov 18 2011, 03:39 PM) It changes - at one time or another, every album was their favorite album, pretty much. Whatever the current one was. This.   I've often heard them say X is one of the albums they're most proud of, where the value of "X" is their latest album.   For older albums, they all still talk pretty positively about Moving Pictures, and it seems Geddy has a thing for Power Windows. I can recall when they were all excited about Presto, right after it came out, but now Geddy admits that the production took the balls out of the songs. (I agree.) Au contraire. The problem with Presto is it's bollocks... I disagree. Like Vapor Trails, the songs themselves are good; it's the production which makes them kind of crappy. Not enough balls but too much bollocks.

[lerxt1990]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Nov 18 2011, 04:37 PM)

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Nov 18 2011, 09:25 PM) QUOTE (danielmclark @ Nov 18 2011, 03:39 PM) It changes - at one time or another, every album was their favorite album, pretty much. Whatever the current one was. This.   I've often heard them say X is one of the albums they're most proud of, where the value of "X" is their latest album.   For older albums, they all still talk pretty positively about Moving Pictures, and it seems Geddy has a thing for Power Windows. I can recall when they were all excited about Presto, right after it came out, but now Geddy admits that the production took the balls out of the songs. (I agree.) Au contraire. The problem with Presto is it's bollocks... Not true Frenchie!

[Lerxster]

QUOTE (Scars @ Nov 18 2011, 03:47 PM)

In the book "Contents Under Pressure" it claims that Geddy said "Power Windows" was his favorite album of the 80's and 90's followed by "Roll the Bones" and "Test for Echo." I don't know how much truth there is to the statement, but there you go.

Yes I've heard that. I specifically recall Geddy talking about liking RTB and TFE a lot in an interview.

[ReRushed]

This is from the book Chemistry, page 172, by Jon Collins:

 

"If somebody really wanted to figure us out, they must pick up 2112, Moving Pictures, Power Windows and probably this album [Test for Echo]. I think that's our best work, really. But no guarantee that they're going to like it" - Geddy Lee

[grand phil-nale]

In BTLS Neil says that Rush began with Moving Pictures. Or something to that affect. So that should tell you what he thinks of everything pre-MP.

 

Geddy has always given high praise to Power Windows and the group as a whole seems more happy with MP than anything they've ever done.

 

 

[circumstantial tree]

Neil said in one of those books that if he saw himself as a fan of Rush music then Power Windows and Hold Your Fire would be his favorites.

[chaotic_ripper]

So if Geddy and Neil think so highly of Power Windows why do they not play more

Of it? Maybe Alex doesn't like it so much. I mean one song per almost every tour isn't really a lot compared to what they play from MP, PeW, or even RTB

Edited November 19, 2011 by chaotic_ripper

[USB Connector]

Geddy said in an interview with Alex Strambalopoulos before the first leg of the time machine tour that Neil really liked playing Stick it Out.

[circumstantial tree]

QUOTE (chaotic_ripper @ Nov 18 2011, 07:50 PM)

So if Geddy and Neil think so highly of Power Windows why do they not play more Of it? Maybe Alex doesn't like it so much. I mean one song per almost every tour isn't really a lot compared to what they play from MP, PeW, or even RTB

For awhile they played quite a few songs from Power Windows. But I know that pulling those songs off on tour became a headache due to the synthesizer "triggers" of that time, technology wise. Basically, it was too much to deal with.

[chemistry]

I know Geddy said Hed never play Lakeside Park or Countdown EVER AGAIN!!!

[circumstantial tree]

QUOTE (chemistry @ Nov 18 2011, 08:09 PM)

I know Geddy said Hed never play Lakeside Park or Countdown EVER AGAIN!!!

that's a shame because I like both!

[USB Connector]

QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Nov 18 2011, 09:33 PM)

QUOTE (chemistry @ Nov 18 2011, 08:09 PM) I know Geddy said Hed never play Lakeside Park or Countdown  EVER AGAIN!!! that's a shame because I like both! Picture him singing them with his vocal range. He would murder the song and his vocal cords.

[chaotic_ripper]

Once again, you'd think they would play more TFE songs, but they probably only loved it when it was new. The same with every new release.

[danielmclark]

QUOTE (chaotic_ripper @ Nov 18 2011, 06:50 PM)

So if Geddy and Neil think so highly of Power Windows why do they not play more Of it? Maybe Alex doesn't like it so much. I mean one song per almost every tour isn't really a lot compared to what they play from MP, PeW, or even RTB

First rule of show business - give the fans what they want. The majority of Rush fans want little more than MP and PeW along with 2112 Overture/Temples, Closer to the Heart, Subdivisions, La Villa, Working Man and a few others. They do a three hour show and at least... what, half of it? is a given on each tour - any of us can probably write the setlist for half the show by rote. Then they throw in a few songs from the rest of their career (a least three or four of which need to be from whatever the current album is).

 

There are 26 tracks on the TM set. Let's look at how many of the songs are a given. Granted, MP got a lot of love; usually there's only 3-4 of the 7 songs in the setlist). So, 2 of the 26 tracks are solos, Neil and Alex. Of the 24 remaining, 7 are from MP and 2 from PeW. Of the 15 remaining, 5 are the standards I mentioned (La Villa, et. al.). Of the 10 remaining tracks, 3 are from their most recent album, S&A - but! they had to put in Caravan and BU2B as well. That leaves a mere 5 of the 26 tracks to be chosen from the remaining albums.

 

1. Time Stand Still

2. Presto

3. Stick it Out

4. Leave That Thing Alone

5. Marathon

 

HYF and PoW got some love this tour with Time Stand Still and Marathon, that's probably about as much as they can get away with, no matter how much they dig those albums.

 

 

[trenken]

I only know a little about this from interviews and various other places. One thing Geddy and Alex have both mentioned is they dont listen to their own albums. Only time they ever listen to them is when picking songs for a tour. I know this from an interview they did before the VT tour. They arent fans of their music the same way we are. They specifically said they almost never listen to their own music casually like a fan would, so Im not even really sure if they actually have favs. But they do have albums they dont like.

 

Geddy and Alex both hate Caress of Steel. That also comes from that same interview they did right before the VT tour. Geddy said it hasnt aged well at all. I couldnt argue with that. The songs dont sound timeless to me at all.

 

In that same interview Geddy mentioned he thought Hemispheres has aged well, so I think he liked that one. The other 2 might as well, at least I would think Alex likes it.

 

We all know they like the song The Pass. Outside of that they havent really talked about it too much as far as I know.